China’s leaders have staked the country’s future on innovation. In its latest blueprint for national economic development, China has pledged to end its reliance on imported technology and to focus on domestic consumption as the primary driver of growth. At a conference in May for engineers and scientists, Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged greater self-reliance in science and technology, which would serve, he said, as “the strategic support for national development.”
The ‘lying flat’ movement standing in the way of China’s innovation drive (brookings.edu)
An illustration of the “lying flat” phenomenon appears on the Q&A platform Zhihu in early May 2021.